A Good Name: Avi

I heard the name Avi on a recent episode of Weeds, and it had a really nice ring to it. Short and simple, but somehow mysterious. It would seem that Avi is a Hebrew word for father, which makes it strange and paradoxical, because I would definitely consider using the name for a possible future son:

Some day, my little boy would say, "Hello, father," to which I would respond, with a dorky smirk on my face, "Hello, Avi." I'd try to play it cool and keep it to myself, but then I'd need to share my cleverness and say, "See, it's funny because your name means father," and he would say, "I know, dad. You've been saying the same thing for twelve years." I would mutter to myself, "Doesn't make it any less funny," before stomping away.

In the event that the mother of my child doesn't like the name Avi, there are always other alternatives. One such alternative would be to get an African grey parrot and name him Avi. We're all originally from Africa, after all, so the name would fit the bird perfectly.

Finally, I think a pygmy goat might benefit from such a name. The term scapegoat comes from the fact that people used to cast blame and sin upon a goat. When they rid themselves of the goat, they'd ritually rid themselves of blame and sin. And who gets more blame in a world of Freudian psychology than our fathers?